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Polymers
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Decarbonization of Plastics
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Decarbonization of Plastics

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Circular and Green Polymer Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 10241

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Giulia Fredi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Industrial Engineering and INSTM Research Unit, University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
Interests: biopolymers; bioplastics; polymer characterization; thermal energy storage; anionic polyamide 6; thermoplastic composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Francesco Paolo La Mantia

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, RU INSTM, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: polymer processing; mechanical behaviour of polymer-based systems; rheological behaviour of polymer-based systems; green composites; biocomposites; nanocomposites; biodegradable polymers; polymer blends; degradation and recycling of polymer-based systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plastic materials have become essential for our everyday life, but their fossil-based origin and the accumulation of plastic waste in the environment can represent a serious environmental threat. Adopting narrow solutions to such a complex problem can be counterproductive, making policymakers look for other, even less sustainable options. Hence, it is fundamental to tackle this issue by adopting a holistic approach and decreasing the carbon footprint of plastics comprehensively across the whole life cycle. This means increasing the efficiency of the synthesis of biochemicals and biopolymers, tailoring the properties of such biopolymers to extend their service life and broaden their application fields, and investigating new strategies for their end of life, comprising physical and chemical recycling and biodegradation.

The research field of plastics decarbonization is exciting and rapidly developing, and therefore this Special Issue aims to highlight the main research lines of the field, evidencing the latest and most promising approaches, and delineating future trends on which the efforts of the scientific community are likely to focus. This Special Issue welcomes original research and review articles in the field of renewable and sustainable polymeric materials covering the synthesis, processing, characterization, theoretical approaches, numerical modeling, and life cycle assessment (LCA) of these materials.

Dr. Giulia Fredi
Prof. Dr. Francesco Paolo La Mantia
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • life cycle assessment
  • bioresources
  • sustainability
  • eco-design
  • decarbonization
  • biopolymers
  • biocomposites
  • renewable polymers
  • chemical recycling
  • mechanical recycling
  • sustainable packaging

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 4201 KiB  
Article
Separation and Characterization of Plastic Waste Packaging Contaminated with Food Residues
by Svetlana Tretsiakova-McNally, Helen Lubarsky, Ashlene Vennard, Paul Cairns, Charlie Farrell, Paul Joseph, Malavika Arun, Ian Harvey, John Harrison and Ali Nadjai
Polymers 2023, 15(13), 2943; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15132943 - 4 Jul 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2511
Abstract
In this paper, we present the development of a novel processing technology to tackle hard-to-recycle plastic packaging waste contaminated with food residues. The proof-of-concept (POC) technology can effectively separate food residual amounts from plastic waste materials to a level acceptable for further re-use [...] Read more.
In this paper, we present the development of a novel processing technology to tackle hard-to-recycle plastic packaging waste contaminated with food residues. The proof-of-concept (POC) technology can effectively separate food residual amounts from plastic waste materials to a level acceptable for further re-use or recycling of the plastic packaging. To assess this technology, we have conducted spectroscopic, thermal, and calorimetric characterizations of the obtained fractions, such as cleaned mixed plastics (CMP), food waste with mixed plastics (FWMP), and a mixture of microplastics (MP). The analyses were carried out with the aid of Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), Microcone Combustion Calorimetry (MCC), and ‘bomb’ calorimetry. The highest ratio of CMP to FWMP and the lowest amount of MP were obtained utilizing 700 rpm blade rotational speed and 15 s residence time of contaminated plastics in a cutting mill chamber. The plastics were freed from food contamination by 93–97%, which highlights a strong potential of the POC as a solution for ‘dry-cleaning’ of similar wastes on a larger scale. The main components of the CMP fraction were low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which are recyclable plastics. The knowledge and understanding of thermal degradation behaviours and calorimetric attributes of separated fractions, determined in this study, are essential in informing the industrial players using pyrolysis as a technique for recycling plastics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decarbonization of Plastics)
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17 pages, 1700 KiB  
Article
Understanding Marine Biodegradation of Bio-Based Oligoesters and Plasticizers
by Federico Zappaterra, Monia Renzi, Manuela Piccardo, Mariachiara Spennato, Fioretta Asaro, Martino Di Serio, Rosa Vitiello, Rosa Turco, Anamaria Todea and Lucia Gardossi
Polymers 2023, 15(6), 1536; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15061536 - 20 Mar 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2250
Abstract
The study reports the enzymatic synthesis of bio-based oligoesters and chemo-enzymatic processes for obtaining epoxidized bioplasticizers and biolubricants starting from cardoon seed oil. All of the molecules had MW below 1000 g mol−1 and were analyzed in terms of marine biodegradation. [...] Read more.
The study reports the enzymatic synthesis of bio-based oligoesters and chemo-enzymatic processes for obtaining epoxidized bioplasticizers and biolubricants starting from cardoon seed oil. All of the molecules had MW below 1000 g mol−1 and were analyzed in terms of marine biodegradation. The data shed light on the effects of the chemical structure, chemical bond lability, thermal behavior, and water solubility on biodegradation. Moreover, the analysis of the biodegradation of the building blocks that constituted the different bio-based products allowed us to distinguish between different chemical and physicochemical factors. These hints are of major importance for the rational eco-design of new benign bio-based products. Overall, the high lability of ester bonds was confirmed, along with the negligible effect of the presence of epoxy rings on triglyceride structures. The biodegradation data clearly indicated that the monomers/building blocks undergo a much slower process of abiotic or biotic transformations, potentially leading to accumulation. Therefore, the simple analysis of the erosion, hydrolysis, or visual/chemical disappearance of the chemical products or plastic is not sufficient, but ecotoxicity studies on the effects of such small molecules are of major importance. The use of natural feedstocks, such as vegetable seed oils and their derivatives, allows the minimization of these risks, because microorganisms have evolved enzymes and metabolic pathways for processing such natural molecules. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decarbonization of Plastics)
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15 pages, 4394 KiB  
Article
Structure of Starch–Sepiolite Bio-Nanocomposites: Effect of Processing and Matrix–Filler Interactions
by Daniele Bugnotti, Sara Dalle Vacche, Leandro Hernan Esposito, Emanuela Callone, Sara Fernanda Orsini, Riccardo Ceccato, Massimiliano D’Arienzo, Roberta Bongiovanni, Sandra Dirè and Alessandra Vitale
Polymers 2023, 15(5), 1207; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15051207 - 27 Feb 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2007
Abstract
Sepiolite clay is a natural filler particularly suitable to be used with polysaccharide matrices (e.g., in starch-based bio-nanocomposites), increasing their attractiveness for a wide range of applications, such as packaging. Herein, the effect of the processing (i.e., starch gelatinization, addition of glycerol as [...] Read more.
Sepiolite clay is a natural filler particularly suitable to be used with polysaccharide matrices (e.g., in starch-based bio-nanocomposites), increasing their attractiveness for a wide range of applications, such as packaging. Herein, the effect of the processing (i.e., starch gelatinization, addition of glycerol as plasticizer, casting to obtain films) and of the sepiolite filler amount on the microstructure of starch-based nanocomposites was investigated by SS-NMR (solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance), XRD (X-ray diffraction) and FTIR (Fourier-transform infrared) spectroscopy. Morphology, transparency and thermal stability were then assessed by SEM (scanning electron microscope), TGA (thermogravimetric analysis) and UV–visible spectroscopy. It was demonstrated that the processing method allowed to disrupt the rigid lattice structure of semicrystalline starch and thus obtain amorphous flexible films, with high transparency and good thermal resistance. Moreover, the microstructure of the bio-nanocomposites was found to intrinsically depend on complex interactions among sepiolite, glycerol and starch chains, which are also supposed to affect the final properties of the starch–sepiolite composite materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decarbonization of Plastics)
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12 pages, 4138 KiB  
Article
Toward the Decarbonization of Plastic: Monopolymer Blend of Virgin and Recycled Bio-Based, Biodegradable Polymer
by Vincenzo Titone, Maria Chiara Mistretta, Luigi Botta and Francesco Paolo La Mantia
Polymers 2022, 14(24), 5362; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14245362 - 8 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1821
Abstract
Decarbonization of plastics is based on two main pillars: bio-based polymers and recycling. Mechanical recycling of biodegradable polymers could improve the social, economic and environmental impact of the use of these materials. In this regard, the aim of this study was to investigate [...] Read more.
Decarbonization of plastics is based on two main pillars: bio-based polymers and recycling. Mechanical recycling of biodegradable polymers could improve the social, economic and environmental impact of the use of these materials. In this regard, the aim of this study was to investigate whether concentrations of the same recycled biopolymer could significantly affect the rheological and mechanical properties of biodegradable monopolymer blends. Monopolymer blends are blends made of the same polymers, virgin and recycled. A sample of commercially available biodegradable blend was reprocessed in a single-screw extruder until two extrusion cycles were completed. These samples were exposed to grinding and melt reprocessed with 75% and 90% of the same virgin polymer. The blends were characterized by tensile tests and rheological tests. The results obtained showed that while multiple extrusions affected the mechanical and rheological properties of the polymer, the concentration of the reprocessed material present in the blends only very slightly affected the properties of the virgin material. In addition, the experimentally observed trends were accurately predicted by the additive model adopted. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decarbonization of Plastics)
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